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Party spots and eateries are turning art patrons, inviting local artists to dress up their spacesCleopatra's head has been split down the middle.文件倉 Elvis' face has been segmented, giving him a huge Frankenstein-esque head. Plastic forks and spoons dangle from the ceiling from a light fixture while empty snack packaging suspend in a colourful light ball in a corner.Staring at these spacey sights at the hip, week-old nightspot Art Bar in One Fullerton, partygoers might wonder if they have had one drink too many. No, they are just the resident artworks.Nightclubs, bars and restaurants here have long crossed over into museum and gallery territory, by tricking their spaces out with artworks. But these days, more owners are commissioning Singapore artists to come up with edgy new works for their establishments.The idea is not new. Joints such as Kinki at Customs House and the now- defunct Majestic Bar in Bukit Pasoh Road have commissioned local artists to dress up their spaces. But it seems to be catching on, with at least seven establishments turning into art patrons.At Art Bar, which replaces Fash at The Butter Factory club, partygoers are embracing the works by local artists. At the launch last Friday night, they dressed up in similarly surreal outfits made from paper plates and wore accessories made of broken doll heads - in line with the night's "trash fashion" theme.Cleopatra and Elvis are paintings titled The Queen and The King by home-grown illustrator Kristal Melson, while the light sculptures on the dance floor, called The Ring Of Things, were done by the nightspot's creative director Bobby Luo and in-house visual display artist Aaron Han.Mr Luo, 42, also the club's co-founder, says of the underground street vibe: "It was a progression, where we wanted to take it to the next level of bar concepts, and mix mediums and styles."Four local artists were asked to create works for the bar, including visual artist Speak Cryptic and illustrators Sharul Amir and ClogTwo. The revamp took about a year, returning the club back to its early roots of being an Art Bar, when it was first at Robertson Quay.The club's in-house team - graphic designer Chad Lesch, creative manager and illustrator Eric Foenander, music director Fai Rizal as well as Han - also upcycled scraps such as spoilt headphones to accessorise the lights.Mr Luo declines to reveal the cost, but says the renovation was "economical" as the art came from items they already had.On working with local artists, Mr Foenander, 30, says: "We know these artists as we run in the same circles and they are pretty established in what they do. We didn't need to handhold anyone."At four-month-old Club Kyo in Cecil Street, manga-esque characters dominate backdrops of waterfalls and phoenixes.Using lights and other visual aids, the eyes of the characters and waterfalls give the illusion of movement when the club lights go down as the party gets started.Club owners Godwin Pereira, 39, and Ross Glasscoe, 33, of Limited Edition Concepts, brought in local graffiti artist Ceno2 to come up with five works.Ceno2, 27, whose real name is Mohammad Azlan Ramlan, stayed in the club for two months as it was being built. After the construction workers left for the day, he worked through the night, spray- painting the works free hand."We wanted something which wasn't too chi-chi, but not too street that you don't get it," says Mr Pereira, who first met the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts- trained artist at a regular art event at another club he owns, The Vault, in South Bridge Road.An admirer of Ceno2's work, he let him work on walls at The Vault and that led to the Club Kyo commission.Ceno2, who was paid a five-figure sum for his pieces at Kyo, says: "This is one of the biggest projects I have done. And for them to let me create whatever I wanted, that's the best payment ever."Besides marvelling at art while partying, you can also check out pieces while chomping on a steak.At Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse and Restaurant in Mohamed Sultan Road, Scott Woodward's Beauty And The Beasts series of pictures featuring models posing with wild animals is on display.The Canadian photographer, who has lived here for 15 years存倉 styled and shot models in the restaurant in a day. He then worked with a digital-imaging studio and illustrator for about eight weeks after to juxtapose the leggy beauties with hairy beasts such as a boar and ram.Woodward, 38, says: "Restaurants aren't my usual clients, so... I will jump at something that pushes me to try something new. It's a bonus when diners get excited seeing it."Bistecca's managing director Megan Williamson says that buying a ready- made painting was not an option. "We wanted to introduce an avant-garde style, while keeping it warm and approachable."We went for a contemporary set of portraits that symbolises the relationship between contemporary man and animals... Something that is very poignant when customers are enjoying a fine cut of steak."And it is not just about keeping it local. Owners are working with artists who can translate the feel of the place into visuals, such as three-month-old Revolution Coffee in one-North, which commissioned artist Samantha Lo, better known as the "Sticker Lady", to put her stamp on the cafe.Lo, who was arrested last year for her illegal street art and has to perform 240 hours of community service, created a wallpaper for the cafe - a monochromatic design with surveillance cameras and the cafe's logo.Revolution owner Ajie Permana met Lo through one of his staff who is friends with her. "I would be lying if we said the decision was independent of her court case as it obviously drew visibility to her work," he says, declining to reveal the cost. "But I did feel that the nature of her work would complement the cafe and is in line with its theme."While heat, smoke and grease from open kitchens are art collectors and conservators' worst nightmares, causing damage such as fungal growth, some restaurants are skirting that problem by commissioning digitally printed murals.The owners of Izy Dining and Bar, the week-old izakaya bar-restaurant in Club Street, got 31-year-old illustrator Ben Qwek to produce an 11m-long mural on the wall that faces the open kitchen.Sharp eyes will spot familiar characters such as Uma Thurman as Black Mamba in the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill (2003) and the iconic helmet of French electronic music duo Daft Punk.Qwek, who took several months to complete the work, drew the mural on a computer and then printed it on canvas.Mr Pierre Prunier, one of the four owners and spokesman for the restaurant, declines to reveal the cost of the work. But the 33-year-old Frenchman says: "A lot of the feelings and icons within the mural were images that I grew up with."My business partners and I knew that we would share a lot of the same memories with those who recognise the characters. It's about creating that connection, which was why we wanted to have a say in what would go into the artwork."As the popularity of commissioning local art continues, club and eatery owners are looking beyond art galleries to find local talent.Moosehead Kitchen-Bar's head chef Manuel Valero found his via Facebook.Visual art collective SuperSegak - comprising Lasalle graduates Iefa Shamsir, 28, and her partner who goes by the name Lully Crooelly, 25 - took three days to create two silk-screen prints of mooseheads for the Mediterranean restaurant in Telok Ayer Street.Titled Moose In The Head and Smooth Moose, the two 1.5m-tall prints are on sale for $2,300 each.The Spanish chef, 27, who studied art and design in his hometown of Barcelona, says the works add colour to the restaurant and help local artists who may find it difficult to display and sell their work. "For such street artists, Singapore is not an easy place for them to sell their art. So we're giving some support to them."Mr Alistair Christie, an industry veteran and creative director at Molotov Creative Consultants, says commissioning art is a good way to stand out in the crowded food and beverage market.The 43-year-old has conceptualised more than 100 eateries here and in the region, including the Queen & Mangosteen in VivoCity and Tigerlily in Dempsey. "Furniture and interior decor concepts are available online to mirror. But with art, you can personalise it and it will never look the same as another."natashaz@sph.com.sg自存倉